


Charming

by ElectricityLingerss



Series: One Hundred Ways To Say 'I Love You' [5]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 15:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricityLingerss/pseuds/ElectricityLingerss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One hundred ways to say 'I love you' number 5 - 'I'll walk you home.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charming

Tony was really starting to freak out by the time he reached Steve’s voicemail for the 5th time. Steve was supposed to have met him a half hour ago outside the library so that they could go to dinner after he was done with class. Only Steve had never showed up, and that wasn’t like him. He always called if he was caught up somewhere or couldn’t make it. _Always_. Tony was the one who sometimes got lost in projects and failed to resurface for days at a time. 

He was slumped on the library steps, phone pressed to his ear once again and he tried to reach his missing boyfriend. 

“Fuck,” he said forcefully as he was subjected to Steve’s chirpy answer-phone message once again. 

He lowered his phone and looked around himself in frustration, scanning the darkness around the library building for the millionth time, hoping Steve would miraculously appear, safe and sound. Tony was ready to rip him a new one for needlessly worrying him. After he hugged him for about an hour, that is. 

He raised his phone once again, finger poised to call Steve’s best friend, Bucky, just in case he’d seen or heard anything from Steve, when the screen lit up with an incoming call from Pepper. Tony blinked in surprise, but accepted the call. You did not want to suffer through Pepper’s wrath after ignoring a call from her. Tony shuddered just thinking about it.

“Hey, Pep, listen I’m kinda busy right now-“

“ _Tony, are you with Steve?_ ”

Startled, Tony felt a chill run down his spine at Pepper’s urgent tone. “No. I don’t know where he is. We were meant to meet at the library, but he never showed up. What’s going on, Pep?”

“ _Shit, I was afraid of that. Listen Tony, I don’t know for sure and it might be nothing-_ “

“Pepper, what’s happened?” Tony snapped, his worry making his temper fray.

“ _I’m with Natasha at Bar One, and this group of guys just came in, bragging about this ‘mouthy little shit’ that they’d left in an alleyway somewhere._ ” Tony gasped as ice flooded his body. He surged to his feet and tried to calculate the distance between the bar Pepper was at, and the library. “ _They said something about him not being able to mind his own business. I know it might not be him, but-_ “

“Shit Pep, of course it’s him! When has Steve ever been able to walk away from a fight?” He took off running in the direction of the art building, guessing it must have happened when Steve was on his way to meet him. He stopped to inspect every alley he passed, images of Steve lying beaten and broken rushing through his mind. “Thanks, Pep. I’m gonna go, but keep an eye on those assholes, yeah? I’ll call you when I find him.”

“ _Ok, Tony. I’ll try and hold Nat back from tearing these guys a new one until you find Steve, but I can’t make any promises,_ ” she said darkly. 

“You won’t hear any arguments from me.” Tony muttered before he ended the call, already fantasising about hunting those dickheads down.

Tony had paused at yet another alley entrance, when he saw a hunched figure slowly making it’s way down the street towards him, stopping every few seconds to lean heavily against a wall. 

“Steve!” he yelled as he took off running.

Steve’s head snapped up at the sound of Tony’s voice, and he slumped back against the wall in relief, sliding down until he was sat on the sidewalk. 

Tony skidded to a stop next to Steve and fell to his knees, ghosting his hands over Steve’s body without actually making contact. 

“Steve! Baby, what… Are you ok? How hurt are you?” The damage to Steve’s face didn’t look too bad. One of his eyes was a little swollen and darkening around the edges, and he had a split lip. Other than that he couldn’t see any other obvious injuries, but judging by the way Steve was still clutching his abdomen, his attackers had done a number on his ribs. 

“Tony… Don’t freak out. I’m ok.” His speech was slightly stilted because of his torn lip, but he sounded lucid enough. “Sorry, I… Couldn’t… Call.” Steve dug around in his hoodie pocket and held up the remains of a smashed smartphone for Tony’s inspection.

Tony barely glanced at the phone. “Don’t worry about the phone, babe. Where does it hurt?” Tony was starting to get concerned about how choppy Steve’s breathing was becoming, and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. “Can you breath ok? Where’s your inhaler?”

“Douchebags… Took it. Having a little… Trouble.” Tony shushed him as he started to rummage around in his backpack. He had gotten into the habit of always carrying a spare inhaler for Steve, considering how often the idiot forgot it. 

“Don’t try to talk, Steve. Here.” He pressed the medication to Steve’s mouth, compressing the top when Steve obediently took it into his mouth for a much needed puff. His breathing started to even out almost immediately, and Tony sucked in a relieved breath, mirroring Steve. 

“Thanks,” Steve breathed. He looked up at Tony from under his lashes. “Sorry.”

Tony just shook his head. He _hated_ Steve’s noble streak and how it always seemed to land him in trouble. He’s long since leaned that it was impossible to drum a little self-preservation into Steve’s head, though. He would always stand up for the little guy, even if he got beaten half to death in the process. 

“They were bullies, Tony,” Steve insisted mulishly. “They were bothering this woman, wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“Uh-huh. And where is she now? Didn’t stick around long enough to see if you were ok?”

“She was scared, Tony. At least she got away.” 

“Right. She could have at least called the cops or something.” Steve opened his mouth, no doubt to defend this mystery woman again, but Tony cut him off. “Tell me the truth, Steve. How badly are you hurt? Do you need to go to the emergency room?” Tony ghosted his thumb along Steve’s slit bottom lip, hating to see his beautiful face so torn up. 

Steve smiled a little and then winced as it pulled his cut lip open. “I’m fine. Really,” he added when Tony just kept staring at him. “Eye feels a bit swollen, it’ll probably be a nice looking shiner by tomorrow. Lip’s a little sore, and I guess I’ll have a few bruises on my ribs, but they were pretty drunk. Couldn’t aim for shit.” He smiled and took a deep breath. “Breathing was the main worry, but you seem to have cleared that up, Price Charming.” Steve gazed at Tony fondly. 

Tony shook his head in exasperation. “This isn’t funny, Steve. It could have been so much worse.” He shuddered as possibilities ran through his mind. What if they weren’t just drunk idiots? What if one of them had had a knife? Or a _gun?_ Tony almost whimpered aloud in distress. He dove forward and caught Steve up in a fierce but gentle embrace, mindful of his sore body.

“I really am sorry I worried you,” Steve sighed, lifting his arms to return the hug. “But I couldn’t just let them-“

“I know, baby. It’s ok; I knew what I was getting into when I fell in love with a superhero.” Tony smirked at Steve before leaning forward and kissing him as softly as he knew how on his sore lips. 

Steve just rolled his eyes as he carefully retuned the kiss; long since having accepted the ridiculous things Tony called him. 

“Let’s get you off of this cold ground,” Tony said as he drew back. “Are you ok to stand?”

“I really am fine, Tony. I’ll just have to avoid Mom for a few days until my face looks normal again. He shivered slightly. “God knows what she’d do if she got a look of me right now.”

Tony snorted in agreement, having been on the receiving end of Mama Rogers in full swing more than once. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

“You’d better,” Steve teased, as he took his first unsteady steps. “Prince Charming would never leave someone in distress, after all.”

“That’s right, laugh it up, tough guy,” Tony muttered, as he slipped his arm around Steve’s waist, supporting him as he stumbled. “I’m not letting you out of my sight for at _least_ a month. Clearly you can’t be trusted to stay out of trouble.” 

“I’m not sure how Bucky’s going to feel about having an extra roommate for that long,” Steve mused, playing along. 

“Well, he’ll just have to suck it up and deal. Unless he want’s to move in with Pepper while- Shit, Pepper!” He fumbled in his pocket, trying to reach his phone.

“What’s wrong? Is she ok?” Steve asked, concerned by Tony’s urgency.

“She was the one who told me you were in trouble,” he said distractedly, navigating to Pepper’s number. “I said I’d call her when I found you.”

“Huh? How’d she know?”

“She didn’t know for sure, but she heard these guys talking about how they’d beaten some guy up and, knowing your habit of getting into fights, she called to make sure you were ok.” He started typing out a quick text, letting Pepper know Steve was safe.

“Oh my _God_ ,” Steve mumbled, sounding mortified. “It’s not like it happens _that_ often. I don’t start every fight in the city!”

Tony just raised his eyebrows at him significantly, gaze flickering to his split lip and busted eye. 

“Yeah, yeah. Still doesn’t prove anything,” Steve muttered petulantly. 

He sent the text and retuned the phone to his pocket before looking back down at Steve fondly. “’Course it doesn’t, baby. Proves absolutely nothing.” He turned his head and placed a soft butterfly kiss on Steve’s temple, keeping his lips pressed to Steve’s skin for a few seconds, savouring the feeling of holding him safe in his arms. 

“You’re laughing at me,” Steve pouted.

“Only a bit.” He pulled Steve to a stop and threaded his fingers through Steve’s hair, tipping his face up. “I love how big your heart is, how you’re always saving people.” Tony thought of all the ways Steve had saved him – showing him he was worthy of love, after years of being starved of it. “I just wish it didn’t involve you getting hurt.” 

Steve smiled warmly at him, stepping closer and touching his lips lightly to Tony’s. “I think you secretly like the bad-boy look,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood. “A few bruises should make me look tough. Sexy.” 

“You being in pain will never be sexy, Steve,” Tony confessed quietly. He knew he couldn’t and _wouldn’t_ change anything about Steve; but it didn’t stop him from hating every second Steve was hurting. 

Steve’s eyes softened as he gazed up at Tony in wonder. “I love you. So much.” He leaned forward and planted the faintest of kisses on Tony’s jaw.

“I love you too.” Tony drew back with one last kiss to the tip of Steve’s nose. “Let’s get you home.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, guys!  
> You can find me on Tumblr [here](http://electricitylingerss.tumblr.com/). Come and say hi if you like!


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